Governor Murphy Declares State of Emergency

Trenton – Governor Phil Murphy today declared that New Jersey will enter a state of emergency at 8 p.m. on Tuesday ahead of tomorrow's anticipated nor’easter, authorizing the State Director of Emergency Management to activate and coordinate response and recovery efforts. Executive Order No. 14 declares the state emergency across all 21 counties in the state, and allows for the extension of resources into other parts of the state as the storm continues to impact New Jersey.

“Following last weekend’s nor’easter and with another destructive winter storm approaching, I am declaring a state of emergency across all 21 counties in the State," Governor Murphy said. “We are taking every precaution necessary and will continue to monitor and assess the storm throughout the night to ensure all residents are safe and secure.”

The impending storm is expected to produce as many as 4 to 13 inches of snow beginning Tuesday evening and lasting until late Wednesday night. Winds are expected to reach 30 mph causing power outages throughout the State. Roughly 41,000 households remain without power from last weekend's storm.

In preparation for the winter storm, the New Jersey State Police has activated the State Emergency Operations Center for round-the-clock operations. This activation pulls together multiple departments to ensure the situation is constantly being monitored and assessed from critical angles.

Additionally, the Department of Transportation is prepared to activate more than 2,500 pieces of snow-clearing equipment, including plows, spreaders, and loaders, and the New Jersey National Guard is prepared to respond to requests for assistance from the Office of Emergency Management, and will be positioning vehicles at select armories.

A decision on whether government offices will be closed tomorrow will come later today. The Governor encourages New Jerseyans to utilize this additional information to stay informed: Visit ready.nj.gov for information on how to build an emergency preparedness kit, plan ahead, and prepare your family for emergencies. Follow NJOEM on social media for important weather updates and safety information:

Text of Executive Order 14

State of New Jersey
Executive Order #14
Governor Philip D. Murphy
WHEREAS, the State of New Jersey is expected to experience a major winter storm causing severe weather conditions, including heavy and wet snow, sleet, rain, and high winds; and
WHEREAS, the National Weather Service has issued storm warnings for a substantial portion of the State, including a Winter Storm Warning for portions of central and northern New Jersey, and a Winter Storm Watch throughout other portions of central and southern New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, this major winter storm is expected to produce heavy snow accumulations, with rates as high as two inches per hour, and strong winds with gusts as high as 35 miles per hour; and
WHEREAS, this major winter storm is expected to produce hazardous travel conditions due to heavy snowfall and significant reductions in visibility; and
WHEREAS, this major winter storm may cause downed power lines and trees, resulting in power outages, and is expected to impede the normal operation of public and private entities; and
WHEREAS, these severe weather conditions may make it difficult or impossible for citizens to obtain the necessities of life, as well as essential services such as police, fire, and first aid; and
WHEREAS, residents in areas that are expected to be impacted by this major winter storm are still recovering from the effects of a winter storm that began on March 2, 2018, which brought severe weather conditions, including snow, rain, high winds, tidal and coastal flooding, river flooding, and downed trees and power lines; and
WHEREAS, this impending major winter storm is expected to compound the effects of the storm that began on March 2; and
WHEREAS, this impending major winter storm constitutes an imminent hazard that threatens and presently endangers the health, safety, and resources of the residents of the State; and
WHEREAS, this situation may become too large in scope to be handled in its entirety by the normal county and municipal operating services in some parts of this State, and this situation may spread to other parts of the State; and
WHEREAS, the Constitution and statutes of the State of New Jersey, particularly the provisions of N.J.S.A. App.A: 9-33 et seq., N.J.S.A. 38A:3-6.1, and N.J.S.A. 38A:2-4 and all amendments and supplements thereto, confer upon the Governor of the State of New Jersey certain emergency powers;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people of the State of New Jersey DO DECLARE and PROCLAIM that a State of Emergency exists throughout the State of New Jersey, effective at 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on March 6, 2018; and I hereby ORDER and DIRECT the following:
1. I authorize and empower the State Director of Emergency Management, who is the Superintendent of State Police, to implement the State Emergency Operations Plan and to direct the activation of county and municipal emergency operations plan as necessary, and to coordinate the recovery effort from this emergency with all governmental agencies, volunteer organizations, and the private sector.
2. I authorize and empower, in accordance with N.J.S.A. App. A:9-33, et seq., as supplemented and amended, the State Director of Emergency Management, who is the Superintendent of State Police, through the police agencies under his control, to determine and control the direction of the flow of vehicular traffic on any State or interstate highway, municipal or county road, and any access road, including the right to detour, reroute, or divert any or all traffic and to prevent ingress or egress from any area that, in the State Director's discretion, is deemed necessary for the protection of the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and to remove parked or abandoned vehicles from such roadways as conditions warrant.
3. I authorize and empower the Attorney General, pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 39:4-213, acting through the Superintendent of State Police, to determine and control the direction of the flow of vehicular traffic on any State or interstate highway, municipal or county road, and any access road, including the right to detour, reroute, or divert any or all traffic, to prevent ingress or egress, and to determine the type of vehicles or vehicles to be operated on such roadways. I further authorize all law enforcement officers to enforce any such order of the Attorney General or Superintendent of State Police within their respective municipalities.
4. I authorize and empower the State Director of Emergency Management to order the evacuation of all persons, except for those emergency and governmental personnel whose presence the State Director deems necessary, from any area where their continued presence would present a danger to their health, safety, or welfare because of the conditions created by this emergency.
5. I authorize and empower the State Director of Emergency Management to utilize all facilities owned, rented, operated, and maintained by the State of New Jersey to house and shelter persons who may need to be evacuated from a residence, dwelling, building, structure, or vehicle during the course of this emergency.
6. I authorize and empower the executive head of any agency or instrumentality of the State government with authority to promulgate rules to waive, suspend, or modify any existing rule, where the enforcement of which would be detrimental to the public welfare during this emergency, notwithstanding the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act or any law to the contrary for the duration of this Executive Order, subject to my prior approval and in consultation with the State Director of Emergency Management. Any such waiver, modification, or suspension shall be promulgated in accordance with N.J.S.A. App.A:9-45.
7. I authorize and empower the Adjutant General, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 38A:2-4 and N.J.S.A. 38A:3-6.1, to order to active duty such members of the New Jersey National Guard who, in the Adjutant General’s judgment, are necessary to provide aid to those localities where there is a threat or danger to the public health, safety, and welfare and to authorize the employment of any supporting vehicles, equipment, communications, or supplies as may be necessary to support the members so ordered.
8. In accordance with N.J.S.A. App.A:9-34 and N.J.S.A. App.A:9-51, I reserve the right to utilize and employ all available resources of the State government and of each and every political subdivision of the State, whether of persons, properties, or instrumentalities, and to commandeer and utilize any personal services and any privately-owned property necessary to protect against this emergency.
9. In accordance with N.J.S.A. App. A:9 40, no municipality, county, or any other agency or political subdivision of this State shall enact or enforce any order, rule, regulation, ordinance, or resolution which will or might in any way conflict with any of the provisions of this Order, or which will in any way interfere with or impede the achievement of the purposes of this Order.
10. It shall be the duty of every person or entity in this State or doing business in this State and of the members of the governing body and every official, employee, or agent of every political subdivision in this State and of each member of all other governmental bodies, agencies, and authorities in this State of any nature whatsoever, to cooperate fully with the State Director of Emergency Management in all matters concerning this state of emergency.
11. In accordance with N.J.S.A. App. A:9-34, N.J.S.A. App. A:9-40.6, and N.J.S.A. 40A:14-156.4, no municipality or public or semipublic agency shall send public works, fire, police, emergency medical, or other personnel or equipment into any non-contiguous disaster-stricken municipality within this State, nor to any disaster-stricken municipality outside this State, unless and until such aid has been directed by the county emergency management coordinator or his deputies in consultation with the State Director of Emergency Management.
12. This Order shall take effect at 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on March 6, 2018, and shall remain in effect until such time as it is determined by me that an emergency no longer exists.
GIVEN, under my hand and seal this 6th day of March, Two Thousand and Eighteen and of the Independence of the United States the Two Hundred and
Forty-Second.
/s/ Philip D. Murphy
Governor
Attest:
/s/ Matthew J. Platkin
Chief Counsel to the Governor